


Let's Get Lost Chasing Stars

by AlwaysSpeaksHerMind



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst and Feels, F/M, KaraMel, One Shot Collection, Romance, True Love, Writing Exercise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:21:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27042661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysSpeaksHerMind/pseuds/AlwaysSpeaksHerMind
Summary: Drabble/One-shot series based on some prompts I came up with during lockdown to challenge myself and keep me writing. Some of them will be structurally odd and possibly (probably?) very different in tone from my other K&M fics, but they will all center around the boy from Daxam and the girl from Krypton.
Relationships: Kara Danvers & Mon-El, Kara Danvers/Mon-El
Comments: 17
Kudos: 36





	1. amo, amas, amat

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #1: ‘I Love You’ without saying “I Love You’, 500-1000 word range

[ _tempus_ ]

For her, it starts simple: sitting by the bedside, talking to him while he’s out just in case he can maybe hear her, making sure he knows he’s not alone. Then it grows a little—working with him on basic Earth principles he does _not_ get, dancing and hanging out and laughing together at parties and the DEO and the bar. There’s movies, and sharing food on the couch, and sometimes just sitting together in the kind of silence that feels nice and fuzzy-warm as a favorite blanket or an old pair of slippers, and that’s it. Nothing funky, nothing fancy. Just time. Spent together. Lots of time.

Time is nothing.

[ _dona_ ]

He notices, even if she thinks he doesn’t. Because where he comes from, _things_ are the only things that matter. It just takes a while for him to grasp that not everyone bestows the ability to purchase clothes—or just clothes themselves—on a new acquaintance; to learn the difference between Earthen courtesy and brazen bribery. He closes his mouth for once and sees how Kara _gives._ Often, it’s her time. Often, it’s coffee or jokes or knowledge. Sometimes, it’s food (not often, she’s not the biggest sharer of food, but…sometimes). In return, he tries to give, too. She doesn’t always like it much (he is told never to speak of the Bar Incident again), but she always acknowledges his clumsy attempts in the end.

He likes that. It’s another gift.

Even though it’s not one she knows she’s giving.

[ _officium_ ]

Kara Zor-El was born to be a hero. To save the world. To help the helpless and defend the defenseless. It’s her duty and her joy, and it bothers her more than it probably should when Mon-El wants to hit the opt-out button on superherodom. He can’t see why it festers under her skin; neither can she. It just _does,_ and for even stranger reasons, it means the world when he changes his mind and they start fighting alongside each other. The fuzzy-warm blanket feeling returns with a vengeance, and she snuggles down into it every chance he gives her—when he tries to make her breakfast in bed, when he brings her potstickers after the Worst Day Ever, when he rinses _her_ dishes off too, because she’s so busy working on a story that she forgot spaghetti sauce dries like cement on plates. It’s a funny thing she can’t explain, but it fills her heart and makes her smile, and there’s something in all that helpful service that maybe scares her a little.

Verbs are like that, sometimes.

So…action-y.

[ _tactus_ ]

She leans on him that first time (literally and figuratively because she’s so devastated after everything that happened with Jeremiah ~~damn him. The man seemed so nice and Mon-El definitely owes him a lot because of that one time back at CADMUS, but he hurt Alex and betrayed Eliza, and _he made Kara cry,_ damn him~~.) and it means a lot. More than he can say, since she’s not even trying to hide the hurt from him. No one’s ever expected anything from him until her, and it amazes (confuses?) him that all she wants is him to be there. Eventually though, he starts to understand—on the couch, she likes to put her head on his shoulder, her feet in his lap. Going to sleep at night, he turns over and she’s always right there, cuddled up beside him in a way he teases her about since it’s not like she doesn’t have an entire side to herself, but it makes him smile like anything, and they both know it. At the DEO, she’s always leaning on him or Alex or hugging someone who seems like they’re having a bad day, and he decides it’s the best compliment he’s ever received when he’s watching a video with Winn and she comes over and rests her chin on the top of his head while she asks what they’re doing. He’s done the kissing thing. He’s done the sex thing.

Kinda weird, actually, how this whole touch thing feels so much more personal.

[ _verbis_ ]

All she ever does is talk, she thinks. To him, _at_ him, about him, through him. And yet…the one thing she can’t ever seem to say is the one thing that really, truly matters. _You should have stayed there._ Yep, she said that. _You come from a planet of partiers._ Uh-huh, said that too. If it was a joke or an insult, or something mean because she was hurt, she could get it out. _He_ could say it—and he did—but not her. No, she’s got the words stuck in her throat until right at the end, when she can barely see through the tears and her throbbing heartache over saying goodbye is fighting with her fear that he’ll die before she can get him to safety. Then she says it, and it just feels like not enough, like it’ll never be enough. She watches him go, and it’s like all the words she didn’t say are weighing down on her. He’s been in her heart for so, _so_ long, and she never said it. Why didn’t she say it? What if he doesn’t know?

(Somewhere among the stars, he holds the necklace and remembers the woman who gave it to him—remembers movie nights, and we-lost-our-planets talks, remembers smiles and kisses, hugs and fights and tears. And it’s okay that she only said it once, because he felt it a million times.)

He knows.


	2. "none of the above"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #2: ≥500 words (SHORT FIC AHEAD!)
> 
> This was supposed to go up on Halloween, but then 2020 decided to 2020 all over my life again, and long story short, I’m posting now. Hope you’re all doing well, and that you had the best holidays possible! Next updates are on the way and will be longer...I really do promise! <3

**A SHORT CONUNDRUM:**

If destiny is written in the stars but fate possesses fickle fingers, which of the following plays the largest role in determining the outcome of a love story involving one Kryptonian, one Daxamite, two destroyed planets, and a world where sunlight sparks superpowers?

  1. **Random Chance** —the stick thrown through the spokes of the moving bicycle, the winning lottery number drawn from among millions, the one home spared when the tornado veers off-course. _The intersecting paths of a girl with hair like gold and eyes like comets and a heart bigger than the planet she swore to protect + an irresponsible and selfish prince whose escape pod strayed into a pit of fluctuating time so that they didn’t meet until they were the perfect ages to defy all ingrained prejudices and fall in love._
  2. **Freewill** —the unforced decision to take the road less-traveled that ultimately leads to the witch’s candy hut in the forest, the knight that can move in a myriad of directions on the chessboard but only for three spaces in an L-shape; the red pill or the blue. _The drinking of strange and potent alcohols and the decision to get up and fight (not only when victory’s assured, but also when defeat seems certain). Kisses exchanged in hospital rooms and on other earths, kisses forgone when stubborn pride and hurt feelings get in the way and demand a halt. The choices to trust and forgive that somehow knock all the dominoes over until the star-crossed lovers end up in a field with their hearts being wrenched from their chests as they say goodbye._
  3. **Nature** —the optimist will always believe in wind-changeability, the pessimist will always believe in wind-stasis, the realist will always adjust the sails. Cinderella triumphs because she is good (and acts accordingly) while the step-family falls because they are not; Macbeth’s ambition brings woods to Dunsinane. _The Kryptonian can’t help but prioritize duty and responsibility and heroism over love. The Daxamite can’t help trying to make everything pleasant and enjoyable, even at the expense of the truth. She can’t withstand kryptonite. He can’t survive in a lead-filled atmosphere. She doesn’t get to be happy; he doesn’t get to stay. Save the world, lose your love. ~~That’s the price of heroism, don’t you know?~~_
  4. **Malevolent forces** —the hope and light provided solely so they can be ripped away to deepen despair. The cheese crumbs sprinkled in front of the loaded mousetrap, the lie spun to trick the hero into working for the villain. _A monster, maybe. An evil force. Something tangible and punchable, and responsible for causing the Girl of Steel to ache inside and cry alone over the one she just allowed herself to open her heart to. Nothing painful as a love barely had and all too-soon lost could be construed by anyone with no intent to wound. It’s not possible. It can’t be. It’s not fair. _



**Hypothesis** : _It doesn’t matter. Love is a conundrum._

 **Conclusion** : _That’s life._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I came up with these prompts, I structured them according to how challenging I thought each would be (easiest to hardest). About ¾ of the way through this one, I realized this prompt probably should have been #4 or #5 because I majorly underestimated how hard it would be to stay under 500 words, and I had to restructure the whole thing so many times I lost count. I’m not entirely sure what I was going for with this one besides staying under the word count, but it wound up (unsurprisingly, I guess) centering around one of my favorite aspects of K&M’s story: the series of impossible coincidences. 
> 
> Fiction (especially science fiction and all its offshoots) kind of conditions us to accept wildly improbable circumstances as the norm, so it’s easy to overlook cool conjunctions of events if the characters involved in the work don’t explicitly comment on them. With K&M, the onscreen interactions are so fun (eternal shoutout to Melissa Benoist & Chris Wood’s spectacular chemistry <3) that I honestly wouldn’t have minded if the show had just run with a ‘random alien lands in National City and romantic hijinks ensue” type of storyline.  
> But it didn’t.  
> It established a structure that would guarantee drama/conflict, and in doing so, it also planted the seeds for the kind of ship I’m particularly susceptible to in saving-the-world stories—the epic, oceans-of-water-under-the-bridge/never-meant-to-fall-in-love ship. While SG doesn’t make a big deal of how unlikely K&M even crossing paths is (it focuses a lot more on the star-crossed than the written-in-the-stars angle), the backstory is there if you keep in mind who Kara is and where she came from + who Mon is and where he came from, and how many tiny details had to unfold exactly as they did in order for them to meet and fall in love. I’m not by any means a romantic, but there’s something about a couple whose love story defies all the logic/odds/established rules of their fictional world (so much so that it maybe even scares them) that really appeals to me, and K&M have that x-factor in spades. One of my favorite explanations (soliloquies?) ever for the idea of love depending on a series of random chances comes from an episode of Doctor Who, when the parent of one of the characters (Clara’s dad in “The Rings of Akhaten” for anyone familiar with the show) outlines all the things that have to fall in place at exactly the right moment in order for him to meet the woman who becomes the love of his life, and that’s one of the speeches that’s always in my mind when I think about K&M. If their pods had arrived at the same time: different outcome. If their pods had landed in different locations: different outcome. If he arrived five years sooner or she arrived five years later…different outcome. If their planets hadn’t been completely destroyed…well, you get the picture. And none of that’s including the fact that they come from planets that hated each other, so yeah. Anyways. Stopping now because this note is now like same length/longer than the fic itself, but first:
> 
> Thanks as always for reading/commenting, and hope you’re all hanging in there! Happy New Year, and may your 2021 be at least a million times better than your 2020!


	3. less than three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #3: Chat/text fic, 750-2500 words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For speedier reading purposes: Kara's messages are italicized; Mon's are not :]

**Excerpts provided to The Flash Museum, courtesy of National City Archives**

Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO)

Alien Affairs Division (AAD)

Casefile #SKZL20956488E

Compiler: Unknown*

Casefile Description:

Selections from the records of communications sent and received by Kara Zor-El [ _alias KARA DANVERS/SUPERGIRL/THE GIRL OF STEEL/THE MAID OF MIGHT_ ] to an unnamed recipient/responder. Contextual research suggests the most likely identity of the replier is Mon-El Gand, former prince of Daxam [ _alias MIKE MATTHEWS/VALOR_ ], but this cannot be confirmed as all identifying stamps other than those listing time of day were at one point removed by members of the metahuman group known as the LEGION OF SUPERHEROES—most likely due to the fact that the original communications would by necessity have been obtained through illegal procedures.

_***** During a period in which fanatical members of a time-worshipping cult sought to erase all evidence of superheroes from history, documentation of events featuring the likes of SUPERGIRL, SUPERMAN, THE FLASH, GREEN ARROW, BLACK LIGHTNING, THE BATWOMAN, etc. were deemed international conspiracy, and preserving or attempting to preserve documentation of these events was an offense punishable by death in most countries. It is believed that one or more of the founding members of the Legion of Superheroes knew the source(s) of all information saved from this period, but kept the information secret in order to protect the identities of those who risked their lives to ensure that the histories of Earth’s greatest champions would always be remembered._

_To this day, the compiler(s) of all documents pertaining to the DEO-AAD and Kara Zor-El of Krypton remain unknown._

<><><><><><><><><><>

*😁/😠 *

<><><><><><><><><><>

**[10:39am]**

Hey kara?

_**[10:40am]** _

_In a meeting_

**[10:40am]**

Oh sorry

My bad

Guess that’s why it did the bell ring thing for so long? I’ll text later :)

**[10:47am]**

Is now good?

**[10:48am]**

Kara?

Kara?

**[10:49am]**

Kaaaarrrrraaaaa

_**[10:49am]** _

_IN A MEETING._

**[10:55am]**

What about now? Is now ok?

**[11:10am]**

I guess that’s a no

**[11:11am]**

well its about lunch. Eve wants to show me the breakroom with food but you said to ask you before I do anything and I’m hungry

like very hungry

like I don’t think the burrito things we ate earlier are still in me

or maybe they are but I want more so I don’t think it matters now.

can i?

**[11:12am]**

I promise I won’t eat strange amounts for humans

Even if I want to

because I'm REALLY hungry

**[11:15am]**

Kara?

=(

_**[11:16am]** _

_FINE. JUST GO._

**[11:16am]**

So you can talk now? :D

_**[11:16am]** _

_STILL IN MEETING_

**[11:17am]**

Oh

Are you yelling at me in text language or is your letter lock thing stuck?

_**[11:18am]** _

_YELLING!_

_GO_

_EAT_

_STOP TEXTING!!!!!!!!!!!_

**[11:18am]**

:D :D :D :D!!!!!

**[11:19am]**

Sorry

I forgot

Have a good meeting :)

<><><><><><><><><><>

*🌎/🦃*

<><><><><><><><><><>

_**[8:53pm]** _

_Hey :)_

**[8:54pm]**

Hey! :D

What’s up?

_**[8:55pm]** _

_So I talked to Alex earlier_

**[8:55pm]**

Oh

For the record it wasn’t my fault this time

Winn suggested it and I just went along because it seemed unkind not to

**_[8:55pm]_ **

_What?_

**[8:56pm]**

You said you talked to Alex

_**[8:56pm]** _

_I did, and????_

**[8:56pm]**

I assumed about the training room ceiling?

_**[8:57pm]** _

_Noooo…._

_What ABOUT the training room ceiling???_

**[8:57pm]**

Oh nothing

_**[8:57pm]** _

_Now I’m concerned._

_WHAT_

**[8:58pm]**

No no it’s fine

J’onn said it was fine

The repair people already fixed it

And Winn lived :)

_**[8:58pm]** _

_Okay…._

_Gonna ignore that for now because I don’t know if I can handle the truth?_

_Anyway_

_Alex said she forgot to invite you._

**[8:59pm]**

Invite me?

_**[9:03pm]** _

_Yeah, every year we have this thing. Earth thanksgiving. Well not EARTH exactly, not everyone celebrates it. But this country and Canada do. And we do, kind of. Everybody will be there. Like even Eliza, my earth mother is coming into town for it. I thought you maybe might want to come? The DEO will be mostly closed, and it’s like a party._

_Not a PARTY party, though. Like a calm celebration_

_But really fun_

_Like, there’s food and stuff._

_Great food_

_Eliza makes these really amazing carrots and there’re pies_

**[9:04pm]**

I would very much less than three to attend whatever earth thanksgiving is! It sounds strange.

&fun

Thank u for inviting me :)

_**[9:05pm]** _

_You what?_

**[9:05pm]**

What?

**_[9:05pm]_ **

_What does that last one mean?_

**[9:06pm]**

Last one?

_**[9:06pm]** _

_Wait, never mind._

_I figured it out._

_< 3_

**[9:07pm]**

Oh that. Winn said it meant love?

_**[9:07pm]** _

_No, it does. You’re good! :)_

_I just couldn’t figure it out at first_

**[9:08pm]**

:-}

I would have done the symbol things, but the button doesn’t seem to work on here. I press the sideways v and all that happens is the little speck. It’s very annoying.

_**[9:08pm]** _

_Lol I’ll show you how to fix that tomorrow :)_

_But anyways, you’re coming?_

_To Earth Thanksgiving, I mean?_

**[9:09pm]**

Absolutely :D

May I bring anything? Or do you not do gifts on earth at parties?

_**[9:10pm]** _

_No, no. Gifts are definitely a thing that happens on this planet! but more so during other holidays, not this one._

**[9:10pm]**

Ah

_**[9:10pm]** _

_You could bring stuffing?_

**[9:11pm]**

Is that a part of the festivities?

_**[9:11pm]** _

_Yep! It shouldn’t be too hard to find, they sell it literally everywhere._

_But ask J’onn for help if you can’t locate any :)_

**[9:11pm]**

Will do! :D

Goodnight and see u tomorrow :D

_**[9:11pm]** _

Goodnight! :)

<><><><><><><><><><>

👑/💔

<><><><><><><><><><>

_**[11:37pm]** _

_Some of your crap is still here._

_I’ll bring it to the DEO tomorrow. You can get it from Alex._

_Or Winn._

**< message automatically saved as draft 11:39pm>**

I’m sorry

I know that means nothing but I am

It wasn’t my intention to deceive you

Or I guess it was

but only because that’s how I started and then I didn’t know how to explain it afterwards and I hated the thought of you hating me again

Which is no excuse, I know. That’s just what I did

and I hurt you

and I’m sorry

For lying and everything but mostly for hurting you

That’s not ever something I want to do

I’m just so sorry

**< message deleted 11:44pm>**

**[11:44pm]**

Thank you Kara

_**< message automatically saved as draft 11:45pm>** _

_I can’t BELIEVE you would do something like this._

_To ME._

_I thought I LOVED_

**_< draft deleted 12:09am>_ **

**_< message automatically saved as draft 12:09am>_ **

_I hate you_

**_< message deleted 12:09am>_ **

**_< message automatically saved as draft>_ **

_I don’t forgive you_

**_< message deleted 12:11am>_ **

**_< message automatically saved as draft>_ **

_I can’t forgive this_

_I want to, but I can’t._

_This hurts. I hurt._

_I hate you so much and what's worse is I miss y_

**_< message deleted 12:19am>_ **

_**[12:19am]** _

_Whatever._

<><><><><><><><><><>

🍕/💌

<><><><><><><><><><>

_**[4:37pm]** _

_Hey :)_

**[4:38pm]**

Hey :D

What’s up?

No scary emergencies I hope???

**_[4:38pm]_ **

_Lol, no. Fingers crossed, that is._

_Just wanted to make sure you remembered we’re on for tonight w/ Alex and Maggie?_

**[4:39pm]**

Sure do!

9:30 right?

_**[4:39pm]** _

_NO!_

_7:30!!!!!_

_Alex is ordering pizza. If we’re late it’ll be cold and gross._

_We talked about this remember???_

**[4:40pm]**

Lol

_**[4:40pm]** _

_Wait._

_Were you kidding?_

**[4:40pm]**

:D

_**[4:40pm]** _

_:P_

_That’s not funny_

**[4:41pm]**

Not even a little?

Like maybe a teeny tiny smidge?

**[4:41pm]**

_NO._

_You know how I feel about cold pizza._

**[4:41pm]**

Yes I do. Just like I also know it doesn’t last very long around you lol

_**[4:42pm]** _

_Ok not COLD cold pizza_

_Pizza that WAS hot and is not yet cold_

_Lukewarm pizza :P_

**[4:43pm]**

So you’re saying you WOULDN’T eat it if it weren’t hot or cold?

If it was just plain pizza, you would turn it down?

**[4:44pm]**

Lol kara?

Hello?

Ru busy or trying to come up with an argument?

**_[4:45pm]_ **

_Shut up._

**[4:45pm]**

Lol so yes then? ;D

**[4:46pm]**

_I hate you._

**[4:46pm]**

Lol

Do you though? :D

_**[4:46pm]** _

_:P_

_Just be ready by 7, ok? I want my pizza._

**[4:47pm]**

Ok

And kara?

**[4:48pm]**

Kara?

**[4:49pm]**

Kara?

Kara?

KAAAAARRRRAAAAA?

_**[4:50pm]** _

_WHAT?_

**[4:50pm]**

I less than three u :D

_**[4:51pm]** _

_*MWAH*_

_:D_

**_< message automatically saved as draft>_ **

_I less than three you, too :]_

Historian’s Note:

The DEO casefile on Kara Zor-El’s ambiguous communications ends with an undelivered message, but the mystery surrounding it does not. In the year 5042, an archaeological expedition discovered a hidden vault buried deep beneath the surface of land located near what most scholars believe to be the original location of Gotham City. This vault contained several information databases belonging to the Legion of Superheroes, including one that stored over 500,000 voice-records dating as far back as the late twentieth century. Based on a remark made in the background of a recording that was conclusively proved to feature the voices of Kara Zor-El, Mon-El Gand, and Querl Dox, it is surmised that the final series of messages, then commonly referred to as “texts,” took place sometime around April or May of 2017, most likely prior to the Invasion of the Daxamites. Although never explicitly confirmed by any party with direct knowledge, the numerous repetitions of the words ‘Less Than Three’ throughout both personal and professional communications sent over the centuries between Legion codenames SG and V strongly suggest two very important details:

(1). This archaic form of shorthand stemmed from a private joke that began in their early days together on the planet sometimes known as Earth 38

(2). Their well-documented romantic relationship began much earlier than originally estimated by historians and even the most dedicated of lore-seekers

It is ultimately still unclear how a boy from the planet Daxam and a girl from the planet Krypton managed to work together, let alone fall in love, but perhaps in time that mystery may also be solved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt turned out to be both surprisingly easy and surprisingly hard to write. While it was fairly easy to come up with the conversations, it was hard to keep track of the time it seemed like it might take someone to reply, and it took FOREVER for me to figure out some way of differentiating between sent and unsent messages. So, because I’m not entirely confident that the finished result is super clear, the How To Decipher This Weird Thing tip is that the messages with all the deleted/saved as draft notations are around the point where K learns M’s identity, and the last messages are sent right around the point of the Season 2 finale. (Also: I tried to do it as *just* texts, but it felt like it needed some kind of framework for context, so I added the ‘notes’ at the beginning and end to help. If that’s not clear either, the idea is that this is part of a display in The Flash Museum many years into the future :D) (Also #2: if you're cooped up at home and/or bored and looking for a fun challenge, I HIGHLY recommend trying out this format. It's not so hard it's discouraging, but not so easy you can finish it in ten minutes, either.)
> 
> I have a lot of favorite K&M moments, but the ones I’ve never really gotten over are the Catco scenes. They’re hilarious to me, mostly because I feel for Kara in them (I’d be losing my MIND if the person I recommended for a job was bombing that hard at it and embarrassing me in the process, lol), but also because it’s fun to see how she handles having her well-ordered little world messed up. She doesn’t have good answers for a lot of Mon’s questions (“you’re telling me you’ve NEVER used your powers?” “…not ONCE…”) and can’t really see that in her attempts to help, she’s also trying to impose her choices on someone else. I always kind of wanted to see what K’s texts with him would’ve looked like, seeing as how he’s so cheerfully bad at normal Earth things, so that was kind of where this fic began. Then, I really love to imagine the invitation to Thanksgiving, because it’s so cute to me that she invited him and he got all dressed up and everything, and just…yeah. (Also, the Thanksgiving ep is very special to me b/c that’s essentially where I rode into the Karamel ship…I had kind of gone “meh” after watching the first two eps of S2 when Mon was just lying around in a coma, I decided to pick it back up again in 2x08 only b/c I thought it was the first part of the DCTV crossover, and BAM! Their scenes and the kiss knocked me out, I went immediately back and caught up, and the rest is history <3)
> 
> **Random note: the goal is to have the next update to this fic (and possibly one for a different K&M story) up before/by Valentine’s Day, but since I’m always pretty iffy about that kind of stuff, we’ll have to see. I’m trying very hard to get better about posting at least semi-regularly so I can at least start answering all the comments that have been sitting in my inbox for a WHILE now, but literally every time I sit down to do that, either something comes up or I get in a situation where the only access I have to the internet is through my phone (for whatever reason, it SUCKS when I try to log in and answer comments with my phone), or I just lack the motivation after a day filled with answering emails and decide to be whiny and not do anything. BUT! Because people have been kind enough to keep leaving comments even though I haven’t replied in forever, I want to make sure everyone who’s ever left one knows I really do appreciate it—if nothing else, it’s dang reassuring to know there are still people out there in 2021 who enjoy reading things about the space puppies <3
> 
> In conclusion: thanks as always for reading/commenting, and hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy and that you’re having a great day whatever day it is you happen to see this! :D


	4. walkie, talkie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #4: Dialogue ONLY (1K).

Operation Intern

Location: Catco Building, National City, Earth

“You told. Snapper. _WHAT_?”

“Okay…I can see from your face that I _may_ have made a mistake…”

“A mistake? _A_ mistake? Mon-El—”

“Mike.”

“ _MIKE._ You, you, you can’t do that!”

“Oh, no, you can, actually. It’s very easy. All you have to do is—”

“Not can’t like ability-wise! Can’t like you aren’t supposed to! Oh, you are so, _so_ going to get fired by the end of the day if you keep this up.”

“Yes, he did say something about fire, I believe. What does that mean? There’re these signs that show flames surrounded by red circles in most of the halls around here, and lots of exit strategy directions. Isn’t that more prohibitive than encouraging to building fi—”

“He means fired like you’ll lose your job! Finished, out, done-zo! Not…ugh, I can’t. I _can’t_. Rao, this whole thing—”

“Doesn’t that hurt?”

“What?”

“Your hair. Doesn’t yanking it like that hurt? I mean, you’d think with all your extra strength, it would at least—”

“Will you just _listen to me_ for a second?”

“I am, I was just…wondering.”

“Well, wonder some other time!”

“Like when?”

“Like…I don’t know when, like some other time that’s not right now, geeze! What is wrong with you?”

“I…don’t know, I wasn’t aware something was wrong with me?”

“Well—it _is._ And it’s, it’s…”

“Making the little veins in your forehead throb?”

“ _Stressing me out_!”

“Ah.”

“Yes, ah! Stress, Mo—Mike! Mountains of stress. _Oceans_ of stress. Lots and lots of _stress_.”

“Ooh, well. You know, if you’re looking for stress management techniques, Eve was telling me there’s this yogurt style breath thing that really—”

“I do _not_ need breathing tips, okay? Plus it’s not yo _gurt,_ it’s yo _ga,_ and—gah, can you stop playing around for one minute and just _focus,_ please?”

“Okay. Focusing."

" _Good_."

"Eve says that's called 'centering,' by the way.”

" _MIKE_."

"Sorry. Please continue."

“ _Thank_ you. Now—ugh, now I don’t even remember what I was saying! where was I?”

“You mean in this rant or the one before it?”

“The one. Before it _._ ”

“Right, umm…yeah, I believe you were pulling your hair out and saying done-zo and you can’t?”

“Wow. I am _really_ going to look like Lex Luthor because of you, aren’t I?”

“Uh…maybe? What’s a Lex Luthor? I keep hearing about it, and every time I ask that question people just laugh and say 'exactly.'”

“Ugh, never mind. I’ve already got a headache. Look, just…please, _please._ The next time you think about telling someone you think they’re being way too bossy and need to lighten up and have some fun, _ask_ me first. I’ll tell you if you’re allowed to say that to them or not, because saying stuff like that to the boss? Not a smart idea.”

“Okay.”

“Good. Now—get back to work, and this time _actually_ work. Don’t…don’t make jokes, don’t tell stories, don’t laugh too loud or try to sneak out of anything, or let anyone help. And do _not,_ under _any_ circumstances _what_ soever, go off with _anyone_ else to, to…to have…doctor show fun. Look me in the eyes so I know you hear me. Fun? Fun is, is…off limits. Fun is no good, fun is _bad_. Hundred percent, no exceptions, no. Fun. _Okay_?”

“O _kay._ ”

“Good. Okay. I’ll see you later.”

“Uh-huh. Hey Kara, I have a question.”

“Oh, holy Rao, _what_? What now?”

“Am I allowed to tell _you_ I think that you’re being way too bossy and nee—”

“I will literally throw you through three walls a desk and a ficus if you finish that sentence.”

“What’s a ficus?”

“That fake plant in the ugly basket.”

“Why would you want to destroy a fake plant?”

“Not. The point.”

“Right.”

“Now _back to work_.”

“Ma’am yes ma’am.”

“I can _hear_ you, you know.”

“Oh, really? And how can you do that considering you’re like…a hallway away now?”

“Are you serious? I use my…”

“Oh, you use your super-ears? At _work_? To make things easier? Hmm.”

“It’s not the same thing.”

“No, no. Not at all.”

“It’s _not._ ”

“Of course not.”

“Just…shut up, you, you...”

“Daxamite?”

“No, you jerk-y…McJerkface! Seriously, people think I’m talking to myself, and it is _not_ pretty how they’re looking at me right now. Just go back to work, will you? I can’t argue with you via whispers all day!”

“Why do you have to argue with me at all?”

“Because you keep messing up!”

“Ah.”

“That’s all you have to say? ‘Ah?’”

“I thought I should say less. You said were self-conscious because you look like you’re talking to yourself.”

“Right. Thank you, I guess. And please, _please,_ get back to work now?”

“You’re welcome. And I will.”

“Please _Rao,_ let him not screw this up.”

“Um, hey Kara...my hearing’s not that bad either?”

“You were meant to hear that.”

“Oh.”

“Yep.”

“Cool.”

“Whatever.”

Operation Through The Looking Portal

Location: Somewhere On Maaldoria (aka Slaver’s Moon)

“You know those really long movies Winn likes? The ones with the little short guys who love food and have homes with round doors and fight over the scary ring?”

“Yes.”

“This feels like that. All the walking, I mean. Except very much less-cool, and honestly a lot scarier.”

“Well, whose fault is that?”

“You know, judging by the extremely grouchy way you say that, I’m gonna have to assume the answer you’re looking for is ‘mine,’ but see— _I_ think the fact that we keep walking without knowing any direction other than Toward Probable If Not Certain Death is the reason all this walking is getting very monotonous.”

“ _Oh_ , so you brought a map that’ll help us find our way? Cool, let me see it! That’s great, we’ll be out of here in no time! Except—oh, wait. I _forgot._ We can’t get out of here, because there is no way back, and no one knows we’re here because _someone_ didn’t follow instructions and go warn the people who could probably help us! Silly _me_.”

“Question: does sarcasm make you feel less lost?”

“I don’t know, you seem to have all the questions _and_ the answers. You tell me.”

“I never said I had all the—”

“Yeah, well, if you didn’t, that’d be about the only you _haven’t_ said in the last three hours! Seriously, Mon-El…do you even _know_ what an off-switch is? Can you just, just once, just for the _hell_ of it, stop. _Talking_?”

“You know, I can—but now I’m kind of thinking that I don’t want to?”

“Oh-ho, _really_? Well, you know what I’m thinking?”

“Seeing as how I was born on Daxam not Mars and no world I’ve ever visited has turned me into a telepath, no. No, I don’t.”

“I’m thinking really seriously of hating you right now.”

“And what’s slowing you down? The crowds of disapproving—oh, wait, wait. Nope. Never mind. No people. No animals. No beings of any kind. Just rocks. Rocks, rocks, and ooh, look over there! Even _more_ rocks!”

“You are _so_ annoying! And hey, speaking of Daxam and being annoying, is that like, a normal way for everyone to act on that planet, or did ya piss people off there, too?”

“Don’t know. Nobody was ever brave enough to tell me.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“No, you muttered something.”

“And what, your superhearing didn’t pick it—oh.”

“Are you for _real_ right now? What next, you want to ask why I’m not flying us over there?”

“Okay, I forgot, my _bad_.”

“You know, just a little FYI here...saying ‘my bad’ doesn’t fix stuff.”

“And…what does?”

“Actually fixing stuff! Geeze, I know you come from party planet central, but how do you not know this?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Kara. Maybe because I slept through class the one day they taught _How To Apologize_?”

“Maybe you did.”

“That was sarcasm. Daxam doesn’t teach apologies.”

“No surprise there. And don’t roll your eyes at me.”

“I’m not. I’m rolling them at the scenery, because it’s boring and I’m tired of it.”

“Well, I’m tired of listening to you complain about it, so what now?”

“Am I supposed to have a response to that?”

“Considering you do to just about _everything else,_ it would be that unexpected, no.”

“Okay, cool. Interesting. Awesome. How about this: if you don’t like listening to complaining, _why_ do you keep complaining back?”

“I am _not_ complaining back. It’s called _arguing_ back, and it is _totally_ different.”

“Really? How so?”

“It just is.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is.”

“ _No,_ it’s not.”

“Uh, _yes,_ it _is._ ”

“ _No,_ it’s _no—_ okay, you know what, this is boring too. Can we play a game or something?”

“A _game?_ Mon-El, we’re R2-D2 and C-3POing our way around a planet _without_ our powers. How is now a good time for a game?”

“We’re what, now?”

“R2-D2 and C-3PO.”

“No, I heard that part just fine. I meant what does it mean?”

“Rao, you really need to watch Star Wars.”

“Yeah, I’ll get on that as soon as I’m not stranded on a planet that somehow looks ominous but also seems to have absolutely nothing of interest on it.”

“Wow, thanks for the compliment.”

“You know I was not including you in that.”

“Sure you weren’t.”

“I wasn’t! I think you’re very interesting.”

“Oh, you do, do you?”

“ _Yes_ , Kara. I do.”

“Y…oh. You actually do?”

“Yuh-oh, I actually do. So can we play a game now, or do we have to bicker some more?”

“Uh, yeah. Fine, um—the first thing, not the second, I mean. Just…what game do you propose? And _do_ not say Monopoly.”

“Ha, no. Don’t worry. Uh, what about that I spy one? I mean, since we’re looking at everything anyway.”

“Sure. You start.”

“Okay, um, well. I spy with my little eye something very…red.”

“The rocks.”

“You know, I can _not_ believe that you didn’t say your cape?”

“ _Was_ it the rocks?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“You really do know how to ruin a good joke, don’t you?”

“Yep. It’s a skill. And hey, my turn now.”

“Please go right ahead.”

“Thanks, I will. Okay, let’s see…I spy with my little eye, something big and…reddish brown.”

“The sky.”

“Yeah, this game is definitely gonna get old fast.”

“Kind of like this entire sinister yet boring planet.”

“Oh, come on. You can’t denigrate a whole _world_ just because you’re sick of the view.”

“I beg to differ. You know how on Earth they, they rate everything? One star. This is a one star.”

Operation Third Wheel

Location: Hope Street, National City, Earth

“May I say something?”

“You may.”

“Right, yes. Well. Um. For the record? I am with you. Very with you. All the way with you whatever happens.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. But—”

“But _what_?”

“Ah-huh. But, well, while I’m sure you have a long list of very good reasons for whatever has brought on this, this…this very intense zest for justice…”

“ _Zest_?”

“…I just ah, just feel the need to state for the record that…I don’t know, this seems like it might be a slightly intrusive plan?”

“For the record, you’ve already made that clear. Several times.”

“Yes, I know. I just wanted to make sure you knew, as well.”

“Well, I do know. I just disagree.”

“Your friend is on a _da—_ wait, wait, wait, watch the tope-thingy, don’t break it!”

“I’m not gonna break the topiary! Sheesh. You trip over _one_ fake plant and nobody lets you live it down.”

“Just—precaution-ing. Your friend is on a date. I know I haven’t lived on Earth very long and that I’ve gotten quite a few things very, _very_ wrong since I crash-landed, but I’ve been doing a lot of research on this subject lately, and are you sure _this_ is the way to go?”

“Yes! Mon-El, this guy could be bad news. Lena’s my friend. If I thought any one of my friends or family were in danger from someone they trusted, I would absolutely show up and make a giant, embarrassing nuisance of myself to keep them safe. Date or no date.”

“Aww, that’s…well, actually it’s a little bit frightening, but very sweet. What if—and I’m not trying to be a Deli…Danny…Dorothy…wait, what’s the annoying down one’s name again?”

“Debbie?”

“ _Yes,_ Debbie. Not trying to be a Debbie Downy—”

“Down _er._ ”

“Down _er,_ a Debbie Down _er,_ but what if mistakes have been made somewhere and he’s not bad, though?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what if he’s not secretly masterminding muahaha-type world domination? What if he’s just…you know, like Lena? A, a regular rich business tycoon with crazy-awesome inventing skills like—oh, like that broody guy with all the money you said you cousin fights with sometimes?”

“He’s not.”

“And we’re sure?”

“Positive.”

“Okay.”

“I said I’m _sure_!”

“I didn’t say you weren’t?”

“You said, and I quote, ‘ _okay!’_ ”

“I thought okay signified agreement?”

“Not when you say it like that, it doesn’t!”

“Like what?”

“Like…like, I don’t know! Just…like _that._ ”

“Um, okay, uh…is there a way I _should_ say it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay.”

“Mon-El…”

“Mike.”

“ _Mike._ This is not crazy. This is research. _Reconnaissance._ Don’t believe me, ask Alex.”

“Well, okay. I think she said she had plans with Maggie tonight, but—”

“What, are you out of your mind? Don’t _call_ her! She’d make me—I mean uh, just don’t, okay? We’ll ask her next time we see her.”

“Oka…ah, all right.”

“It’s a _good plan,_ okay? All we have to do is commit to it.”

“Commit?”

“Yeah, you know, like—no matter how crazy we look, we stick to the plan. Like those old detective movies. We go in, we make sure nothing bizarre or evil is happening, and we gather whatever intel we can. Piece of cake.”

“Oh. Should we be wearing wires?”

“What? No! What would we need with wires?”

“I don’t know. But the detective show people usually wear them.”

“Well, we’re not in a detective show.”

“We are on a spy mission, though. Plus, you just said—”

“I know what I just said. And it is not _‘_ a spy mission.’ It is a, a…gathering of intelligence. A precautionary one. For…heroic purposes.”

“…Okay.”

“Stop saying _okay,_ and stop looking at me like that! I’m not nosy!”

“You know, when I got bored one day at the DEO, J’onn lent me one of his light-reading Earth books.”

“Light-reading? J’onn doesn’t have any light-reading Earth books.”

“Yes, I realized that very soon. But there was this one section that wasn’t so hard to understand, and it was all about this strange man named Floyd. He liked to study the brain or something, and he had this theory that says people sometimes accuse other people of behavior they themselves are engaging in because—”

“I believe you mean _Freud,_ and I am _not_ in denial here.”

“I’m just saying.”

“We talked about ‘just saying.’”

“True. Well, um…what about that cartoon cricket guy with the hat, then?”

“Do _not_ bring Jiminy Cricket into this.”

“Why not?”

“It’s rude and unfair.”

“O…right. Sure. Listen—I’m not trying to harsh your marshmallow here, or...whatever that strange thing is you and Winn say that Alex always tells you to not.”

“Hey, I only said that like once—or, twice. Three times, tops. _Maybe_ four. And it’s not my fault Alex has talked like a grownup since she was twelve while I basically grew up in a soup of Earth middle-school slang! Nobody told me until like _college_ that a lot of it was stuff only super lame people say.”

“I _just mean_ that yes, it doesn’t really make _sense_ to me why we have to interrupt instead of just following creepily and being on guard in case of an emergency or something, but—if you think there’s a problem, I want to help.”

“You do.”

“I do, yes.”

“You’re not going to silently judge or anything?”

“No. If you think this is the right thing to do, then…I say let’s do it.”

“Thank you. For real, this time.”

“You’re welcome. Although I still think we should be wearing wires.”

“We’re not wearing wires.”

“You know, Harry Potter got a cloak of invisibility when he needed to sneak around. And Hermione got to turn into a cat.”

“Well, if we come across a Deathly Hallow or someone that can whip up a mean polyjuice potion, I’ll consider the use of wires. Until then…let’s just act normal. Normal night, normal couple, normal date, normal no-big-deal-just-normal-running-into-a-friend. And remember to be normal Mike.”

“Normal Mike. Got it. No worries.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I genuinely thought a dialogue-only prompt would be the easiest thing in the world for me to write, so I added in the exactly 1K, no more no less rule to make it harder. As a result, I failed this prompt miserably—the word count ended up exceeding 2.5K (and honestly, I could have gone on longer), which means this is one of the prompts I’ll be re-attempting toward the end of this collection. So, if you hate the format of this update (honestly, I kind of do...CLEARLY, there's a reason play scripts include stage directions so you know what's going on when there are no visuals), just be warned…any update after Ch. 15 will be a different story based on a prompt I already attempted and either failed or really liked and wanted another shot at :]
> 
> *This is yet another fic shamelessly based on the unseen in-between moments of some of my favorite Karamel scenes. The way Kara complains to Alex in 2x05 about Mon’s disastrous day at Catco strongly suggests it was worse than even everything we did see which, you know, kind of makes my imagination run wild because there’s no way Kara was able to keep an eye on him the whole time, and the craziness that must’ve caused is hilarious to me. I like to think he probably unintentionally insulted Snapper every time they crossed paths, and I like to think even more that Kara probably freaked out every time he did because...I don't know, reasons? In 2x09, they walked for a long time under a red sun, and let’s be real…there’s no way Mon was completely silent the entire time, and there’s DEFINITELY no way Kara was, either. And, since we know Kara was already put out with him and she didn’t find out he remembered the kiss until later, it seems reasonable to me to assume that at that point in their relationship, they spent most of the time bickering. As for 2x18…honestly, Mon weirding Jack, Lena, AND Kara out all at the same time is still one of my favorite Arrowverse moments to date, and I have always headcanoned that he promised to be sneaky/stealthy etc. beforehand and really thought he was doing so the whole time, lol. Sorrynotsorry, but the awkward hug + Jack's "????" face is THE ABSOLUTE BEST.
> 
> *Random note: this was supposed to be posted in time for Valentine’s Day, but I live in an area that got smacked with a (hopefully!) once-in-a-lifetime winter storm, and we basically spent ten days iced/snowed in and fighting rolling blackouts, so yeah. I got great pictures, confirmed my suspicion that I don’t ever want to live anywhere where it snows regularly, and updates just did NOT happen since there was a really frustrating stretch of time where I couldn't fully charge my laptop before the power went out. I’m hoping to get on an every-other-Friday update schedule starting next week, but since I’m always terrible about that, we shall see. Like...I remain optimistic as ever, but WE SHALL SEE, lol.
> 
> Thanks as always for reading/commenting! (Seriously, it’s ridiculously encouraging to realize my sisters and I aren’t the only ones missing K&M all these years later.) If you’re reading this on Friday, hope you have a GREAT weekend, and if you're reading this on some other day, hope you’re having a good year so far! <3 <3 <3

**Author's Note:**

> The title of the work is from a Fleurie song called “Chasing Stars” that always reminds me of Kara and Mon-El. The chapter title translates to “I love, you love, he/she/it loves” and the five sections are the Latin words for each of the five (supposed) love languages: quality time, gifts, acts of service, touch, and words of affirmation. 
> 
> This was very interesting to write since I couldn’t spend a lot of time in each section and had to really pick and choose what I wanted to include, and it really got me thinking about all the different ways Kara and Mon-El show that they care for each without actually saying it. I’ve had a lot of downtime these past six months to rewatch/reread lots of my favorites things and reflect on them, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I have a pattern of falling in love with couples who have a complicated relationship with the words “I love you.” (Probably because I’m like that myself, but whatever.) It’s fascinating to me how little I care that Kara doesn’t explicitly tell Mon-El how she feels until Nevertheless She Persisted, because it’s just like…so obvious she does love him. It shows in the way she worries about him, the way she gets mad at him, and the way she lets him get close to her/share in all aspects of her life/reassure her. I'm sure I've said this somewhere before, but that kind of relationship really is my kryptonite <3
> 
> So. Just for the record, I am fully aware that me writing lots of unconnected one-shots instead of working on finishing up my multi-chapter fic is the basest form of procrastination, but it is what it is at this point. I went through several phases during lockdown where I couldn’t stand spending time and energy on anything that didn’t feel rewarding/like I’d accomplished something, so my writing was mostly focused on one-shots for fandoms I’d never written for, original stories, things that forced me to write in a way I don’t normally write, etc. I keep saying “I haven’t forgotten” like a broken record, but really…I haven’t forgotten my original (and still freaking unfinished, grr) Karamel fic. I’m just having to look at it again when it’s unfortunately connected to some memories that make me a little sad, so it’s taking me a while to get tough and just do it. But I’ll get there. Eventually. One day, that fic WILL be completed!
> 
> Random note: I’m going to try to get on Tumblr more regularly (fingers crossed, *Liza Minnelli voice* MAYBE THIS TIME, I’LL WIN), so if you want to say hi, please do! I’m @alwaysspeakshermind and my blog is fabulously disorganized and confusing, but I do love hearing from people :]
> 
> Thanks (as always) for reading/commenting, and here's hoping you have a wonderful weekend! <3 <3 <3


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